{"id":25546,"date":"2020-06-02T12:23:26","date_gmt":"2020-06-02T12:23:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buildingreports.flywheelsites.com\/?post_type=blog_post&p=25546"},"modified":"2021-11-14T19:19:02","modified_gmt":"2021-11-14T19:19:02","slug":"nurse-call-systems-cec-covid19","status":"publish","type":"blog_post","link":"https:\/\/www2.buildingreports.com\/blog\/2020\/06\/02\/nurse-call-systems-cec-covid19\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Nurse Call Systems Part of Your Regular Testing & Inspection Program?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following is part of an ongoing series of thought leadership contributions from BuildIngReports’ network of over 900 Service Members during the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope that facility management professionals and service companies, especially those with more downtime than normal, find them useful in advancing their knowledge during this time. <\/em>For more information on Communications Engineering Company (CEC), visit their website<\/a>.<\/span><\/em>\n<\/p>\n

In healthcare, technology issues and communication problems can lead to more than an inconvenience or a slight business interruption. They can lead to treatment delays, medication errors, falls, or even sentinel events<\/a> (unanticipated incidents resulting in death or serious physical or psychological damage).\n<\/p>\n

Sentinel events can be debilitating to patients, families, and<\/i> care providers. In addition to their health and emotional impacts, the financial effects can be devastating as well. But there\u2019s good news: Many times, they can be prevented. According to 2018 data from The Joint Commission, more than 11% of sentinel events can be connected to communication errors.\n<\/p>\n

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Technology can help you avoid communication issues in healthcare environments \u2013 as long as that technology is working correctly. For this reason, making sure your nurse call systems always<\/i> operate at 100% should be at the top of your list \u2013 especially when it comes to supporting patient-staff communication and safety.\n<\/p>\n

Regular testing and inspection of your nurse call system can help pinpoint problems before<\/i> they impact care or staff productivity \u2013 whether it\u2019s a patient who can\u2019t hear the TV monitor, a nurse who isn\u2019t being informed when a patient presses the call button \u2026 or something more critical.\n<\/p>\n

A few years ago, we conducted a nurse call system inspection for a large hospital. During this process, we encountered a NICU code blue system that wasn\u2019t working properly. The issue was quickly corrected and re-tested to ensure proper performance. Just a few days later, the NICU staff had to use that same code blue alert system. Thanks to the hospital\u2019s dedication to nurse call testing and inspections, the alert system responded exactly as expected and the pediatric patient received immediate help.\n<\/p>\n

The Basics of Nurse Call System Testing & Inspections<\/h3>\n

To minimize disruption, we recommend that annual nurse call system tests and inspections be done in conjunction with your other annual services, including fire alarm system tests and inspections. Combining these services saves you time and money \u2013 and limits disruption inside your facility.\n<\/p>\n

Similar to fire alarm testing<\/a>, where comprehensive data is gathered on every device inspected, the same holds true for testing and inspecting nurse call systems. The process reveals malfunctioning devices and their specific locations, the reason for their failure, and proposed solutions to address the issue, as well as recalls on devices in the field. Once inspections are complete, you have 24\/7 online access to the data.\n<\/p>\n

From patient room stations to nurses\u2019 station consoles, annual testing and inspection can verify proper performance of each nurse call system component, including:\n<\/p>\n